


An Inheritance of Blood and Steel

by Weebles



Category: Hellsing, Vampire Hunter D
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-12 10:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7099099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weebles/pseuds/Weebles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Alucard disappears, Integra is left picking up the pieces of her country, her organization and her life with only Seras to aid her. When unexpected news arises, Integra is faced with a path she never expected to walk. Motherhood. Alone. *AxI, probably with bits of PxS*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Hellsing or its characters, nor am I making any money from this writing.  
*NOTE: This chapter has been revised as of 06/02/2016.*  
The section between the tildes (~~~) is Alucard having a flashback.  
*Spoiler Warning if you have not read/seen the end of the manga/the OVAs. If you haven't, prepare to be spoiled. Honestly, the summary would have spoiled you.  
Prologue

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The smell of the gun powder still hung in the air as Integra held her bleeding hand out above Alucard's head, watching the blood fall into his waiting mouth. His crimson eyes almost seemed to glow from under heavy lids as he knelt before her.

He was back.

The relief she felt was almost overwhelming. Despite her disputes with Seras, she had known that he would return. She had begun to fear though, that by the time he did come back, she would be gone. Thirty years was a long time during which anything could have happened to a human, let alone someone in her position. Even if circumstances hadn't forced her to stop smoking those cigars, thus stalling her inevitable track to lung cancer, she could have died in some sort of freak accident, some other ailment or even assignation. God knows it wasn't like some had tried. And then she would never get to tell him about…

Integra noticed Seras shift out of the corner of her eye and berated herself mentally. She had completely forgotten Seras was in the room; Integra immediately lowered her hand until it was level with Alucard's mouth.

"That's enough for now," She said, "Seal it for me."

"Hmm, you always were stingy with your blood." Alucard remarked, but obediently ran his tongue along the bite in her flesh, clotting the wound almost instantly.

"Yes well, I do rather need it." She groused back, now with both hands on her hips. He stood with a quiet chuckle and gazed down at her, the small smirk on his face was genuine; no arrogance and only a shadow of his former madness.

"I have missed our conversations, Integra." He told her before he turned his gaze to Seras, who had remained by the now broken door. Integra smiled slightly when Seras stood a little bit straighter as his attention shifted to her. While she would always remain his Childe, she had truly come into her own during the war and the years that followed. Seras had stood by her side as together they rebuilt Hellsing and in their own way helped Britain rebuild as well. While her sweetness still showed through occasionally, gone was the meek, unsure Childe and a true Draculina stood in her place.

"Welcome back, Master." Seras said to him as he rose from Integra's side and walked over to her, eyeing her up and down, taking in her posture and demeanor. He studied her arm closely; even though Seras had long ago learned to manipulate shadows to replace her arm, and when she truly concentrated, could make it appear as if it were her true arm, Alucard could no doubt tell the difference. Seras shifted her gaze from her Master to Integra with whom she shared a grin. Suddenly two red eyes formed on Seras' bicep, locking gazes with Alucard before one eye closed in a wink, and both returned to void they had been summoned from.

Alucard burst out laughing, eyes alight with his glee. "I don't believe you need to call me by that title anymore Seras Victoria." Seras returned his grin with one of her own.

"You'll always be my Master, no matter how much I've learned, I'm sure there is still more that you can teach me." Alucard reached out and fondly ruffled her hair has he had all those years ago in London.

"You two have done well in my absence." Alucard said proudly, looking from his Childe to his Master and back to Seras, "You have taken over as Hellsing's lead agent I assume?"

Seras nodded, "I have. There has been a lot of trash to discard of after the war; those that were bitten during the battle and remnants of the Major's army that hung around causing havoc even after all this time. In the past five years or so I've gotten a lot of help from-" Seras stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as she looked to Integra, who Alucard could see had gone very still. "You have to tell him!" She told the older woman urgently.

"Of course I do!" Integra said crossly to the other woman, "I haven't exactly had a moment to do so yet, have I?"

"Tell me what?" Alucard demanded of the women.

"I'll leave you to it!" Seras said brightly, making quickly for the door that now hung crookedly from its hinges. Integra sat down on her bed with a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose as Seras tried several times to close the door before she settled for good enough and disappeared down the hallway.

"What's going on Integra?" He questioned as he walked over towards her. She answered without looking up,

"We need to talk." She said simply, Alucard barked in laughter as he knelt in front of her.

"I gathered that." He retorted as he wrapped his fingers around the hand on her nose, pulling it away. He was struck by how tired she looked as her one blue eye rose to meet his gaze; she raised her other hand, cupping the side of his face with her palm. He sighed, closing his eyes and leaning into the warmth; in some way it didn't feel like he had been gone thirty years, yet at the same time he could feel every minute of it. He could clearly remember the last time he had felt the warmth of her skin, the night before he had left for that blasted carrier Rip Van Winkle had hijacked.

(~~~)

Upon their return from the meeting with the Queen, Iscariot and, unexpectedly, Millennium, Integra had made for her office where Sir Penwood was waiting on the phone. He retreated to the lower levels to watch over the safe return of his coffin to his lair before going to find her again. He found her pacing the length of her office, puffs of smoke floating to the ceiling from the cigar clenched between her teeth. She had briefed him on the situation with the carrier while ranting about Penwood and those bastards at the Navy command who weren't listening to her and were planning to send helicopters out to intercept the ship. First thing in the morning she was heading to the command center herself in an effort to get them to listen to reason.

She was on edge, he could tell by the way she paced and how fast she was speaking; the humans defined it as a "fight or flight reflex", the adrenaline rushing through their bodies with every heart beat that made them want do something. It was the human equivalent to a vampire's bloodlust. It was the eve of her first war after all; and he could feel every bit of her fury, tension and energy rolling off her. It was a combination of her emotions and his own that drove him to intercept her mid-stride, to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against him. She growled at his interruption to her movements but didn't try to move away,

"They are trying to separate us." She said, one of her hands gripped his at her waist tightly as he nuzzled her hair.

"They can try." He replied, losing himself in the scent of her, the feel of her warmth seeping into him. She elbowed him in the gut.

"Damn it Alucard, I'm serious!" She spun in his arms to face him, one hand twisting into his cravat. "You could end up stranded in the middle of the ocean!" Though she was trying to hide it, Alucard could hear the worry laced in her voice.

"They can try all they want." He slid his his hand into her hair, "I will return to you, Integra." He swore vehemently, garnet eyes glowing in the dim light; "My Countess." She crushed her lips to his before he could say anything else, hands fisted in his hair. They had both been wound up so tightly that the kiss proved to be a catalyst for the rest of the evening events. As he had lain beside her that morning, watching the sky begin to lighten and listening to her sleep next to him, he had pondered his lost chance to make her his Countess for eternity. While he was grieved by the fact slightly, he knew that he never would have taken her humanity from her; her will, her drive, her absolute refusal to give in…it was what made her so precious to him.*

(~~~)

While he had been reminiscing, Integra's hand had shifted up into his hair, running her long fingers through the inky darkness. Even though it was mostly straight at the moment, Integra knew that when he was totally focused on something else, the strands would try to curl and crimp. As it was naturally for him, as it was when he was human. As if in response to her thoughts, the ends in her fingers curled slightly. Integra couldn't help but smile,

"He has your hair…" she murmured. She hadn't meant to say it aloud, but she had and she felt Alucard go stone still in front of her. She brought her gaze from his hair to his face, seeing his eyes staring intently at her, darting slightly back and forth as if searching her expression for the meaning of her words. Integra couldn't repress the shudder that snaked down her spine as she felt him poke at her consciousness, it had been so long since she had felt him do that; it wasn't invasive or forceful, but it was insistent.

"Alucard, when you disappeared thirty years ago," she began as she brought her free hand back to rest in her lap, the other still trapped in his grasp.

"I was pregnant with our son."

\-------------------------------------------------------

AN: Hello all! It has been a long time since I've written anything for Hellsing, or much of anything for that matter. As stated above, this is a prologue; the rest of the story will take place as a series of flashbacks. I may come back and tweak this a bit, I'm not completely thrilled with all of it. Like I said, it's been a long time since I've written. Now, to answer a few quick questions:

Yes! It has been done before; most notably by StoriesFromAngelsFall –I think that was her penname- ("D for Short" and "Penance of a Monster", I miss those stories dearly!) and Talia of Eragon ("Gilded Cage", "Sol Solis Morbus" and many other wonderful stories!).

Yes! There will undoubtedly be some commonalities between my story and theirs; some topics just have to repeat when writing about this crossover (D's first experience with Sun Sickness, for example). However mine will be different in the respect that a) this is my version and b) Alucard wasn't around to help raise his son in this story.

No! I can't promise how frequently I will update this. I will do my best to update a frequently as I can.

No! This isn't beta'd and I apologize. I do my best but grammar and I are mortal enemies.

Yes! I would love feedback. What author doesn't?

Thanks for reading!

*Update 06/02/2016: I'm working on a separate one-shot that goes into this night in more, um, detail. ^_^ No promise on when the one-shot will occur, it isn't a priority, but I'm slowly working on it.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story and I'm not making any money from this 

ALSO NOTE: a bit of medical grossness is contained in here. You're warned.

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30 years ago:

It was extremely odd, Integra decided, to have someone poking around in the eye socket where her eye used to be. The only sign of her discomfort however was the silent drumming of her fingers on her thighs as Dr. Trevailian continued with his examination. It had been nearly six weeks since the Burning of London; since the existence of vampires had been revealed to the world in a blaze of fire and an ocean of blood. Six weeks since the world had turned upside down and she had lost the last few people that were dear to her; since Walter's betrayal, since Alucard's disappearance. Dr. Trevailian's hum interrupted her thoughts,

"Everything seems to be healing well." He said as he took a step back from her and shook his head, "I can't believe how lucky you were that the bullet ricocheted off your glasses."

She was lucky, she knew; the bullet had ricocheted, the damage had been caused shards of broken lens driven into her eye by the force of the impact. Afterwards, Integra had put off seeking out attention for her eye as long as she could because as with any mass tragedy, medical services were far outstripped by the demand. She had felt the doctors' time and limited resources were best saved for those in life threatening situations. However it was when, two days later, the whole upper left quarter of her face was red and hot to the touch and a white, pus-like fluid began to leak from her eye that Seras was able to convince her to seek out Dr. Trevailian. How ridiculous it would have been for her to survive the attack on London only to die from infection. Dr. Trevailian had been absolutely furious with her for waiting so long, apparently he felt they might have been able to save her eye, if not her sight, if she had come in sooner. Within minutes she was in one of the clinics – the hospitals were full with those needing full-time intensive care, numerous clinics had been set up to accommodate those needing triage care and everyday medical needs – with Dr. Trevailian and a surgical assistant removing her eye with only local anesthesia. A pressure patch had been immediately applied afterwards and she was given a large bottle of antibiotics with strict orders to take the pills, keep the patch there and to return for weekly checkups.

"Ordinarily, this is the point I would send you to an Oculist to get fitted for a prosthetic eye," Dr. Trevailian told her after he turned back to one of the counters lining the wall. "However, with things the way they are-" Integra scoffed,

"I have no need for one, I'm not that vain. A patch will work just fine." She told him, beginning to stand from the table. He quickly stopped her however.

"Just sit there for a moment. Your balance can be a touch off after removal of the pressure patch. And also," he approached her with cotton balls, alcohol, a needle and several vials, "I want to take some blood while you're here."

Integra eyed him sourly as he placed the items down on a metal tray next to the examination table, "Any particular reason?"

"Several actually; I want to make sure that your infection is completely gone and we've also had a rash of disease outbreaks in the boroughs around London. Too many people, not enough medicine, unclean conditions – it's a bad mix. I just want to run a few panels to make sure everything is on the up and up." It took only moments after she had rolled up her sleeve for Trevailian to prep the area, insert the needle and begin to fill the vials. "After all," he said with a quick grin, "we need you of all people to stay healthy; your knowledge and experience with vampires is the one of the few things standing between this island and total decimation. That makes you invaluable, Integra."

Integra scowled at him in return, but said nothing because it was true. She was being called on by all levels of the military for advice and termination techniques – what type of ammunition worked best, did caliber make a difference in effectiveness, did you have to hit both the heart and the head or would one or the other suffice? All basic training any Hellsing solider would have received on their first day, but these weren't Hellsing soldiers. These were normal men and women that had been trained to deal with human threats, not walking nightmares. And parliament was consulting her on various plans they were making to try and get a handle on the situation in London.

The city itself was blockaded and quarantined, with petrol fires still burning and vampires and ghouls running around its ruins. With the M25 serving as the quarantine borders, recovery and containment operations had been moved to Maidstone, southeast of the ruins of London with the main communications center remaining in Dover. Any survivors of the initial attack had been subjected to thorough and invasive medical examinations for bite marks, and then quarantined for three weeks to ensure that no vampires had been missed. After that the people were shown to the temporary housing and clinics that had been set up nearby. Integra had helped set up the procedures and during that first week helped put those bitten survivors out of their misery. They were trying every route possible to contain the situation in order to avoid the "Final Solution".

"Have you been getting enough rest?" Trevailian asked as he replaced the needle in her arm with gauze and tape.

"Is anyone?" She countered, rolling her sleeve back into place.

The doctor gave a forlorn chuckle, "I suppose not. Still, aside from your eye, you've been feeling well?"

Point of fact, she hadn't; she was exhausted all the time and daily bouts of nausea made eating anything completely unappealing, which was making her dehydrated and weak. Still, she had work to be done, and since those antibiotics didn't take care of whatever bug she had managed to catch simply meant it was a virus, and would just have to run its course.

"I'm fine," she told him, sliding from the table and reaching for her jacket. She pulled the eye patch from her pocket and slipped it on, pulling part of her hair up so the elastic would sit against her scalp instead of on top of her hair where it could shift and slide around.

"That's good to hear. I'll send these over to the lab, where they will be added to the backlog of samples. It will probably take a while to get the results back. Continue to clean the socket as you have been and make sure you wash that patch frequently. And," he stopped and looked at her as she slipped her jacket back on, its bulk hiding the guns holstered below her shoulders, watched her fasten the buttons, "just try and take it as easy as you can Integra."

Integra chuckled ruefully and she walked to the door. "When our dead are resting, so will I." She called back over her shoulder as she stepped into the hallway and through another doorway that led her outside.

She wished stepping outside meant fresh air and sunlight; but Maidstone was too close to London for that. Ash and smoke clogged the sky, even the rain that was falling had a faint gray hew to it. The sound and motion of an umbrella snapping open to her right pulled Integra's attention that way. Seras stood there with a small smile, holding the open umbrella out to her while staying under her own. Integra reached out and took the umbrella and the two began to walk away from the clinic.

"Everything alright, Master?*" Seras asked and Integra frowned at the moniker.

"Yes, it's healing fine. And stop calling me 'Master'." Seras shrugged,

"Well, you are my Master by default; my Master's Master, which also makes you my Master." Integra rolled her eye at the girl, ignoring the look they were getting from a couple that had passed by them mid-conversation.

"Forget it." Integra sighed, reaching into her jacket for a cigar; she struggled momentarily to light it trying to both shield the lighter's flame and juggle the umbrella, "Any new developments?" She asked after her first successful drag. Seras nodded,

"Yes, Sir Islands wants to meet with you in Dover. Apparently they have decided that a more frequent rotation is needed at the quarantine stations and are training more teams. He wants you to work with some of them, to try and prepare them for what they'll be facing."

Integra released a puff of smoke. "Losing numbers are they?"

Seras shot her a grin that reminder her too much of Alucard, damn him.

"Apparently, not everyone can cope with the idea that you have to kill humans to save humans." Integra shook her head.

"The bitten won't stay human for long, I've told them this." She sighed again, "This is why only select members of the armed forces joined Hellsing; there is no time for a learning curve, or adjusting to an idea. Either you can kill monsters or you can't."

"I think that's why Islands wants you personally to work with these new teams." The Draculina responded as they reached the car; it was a simple vehicle, no bells and whistles, just built for pure functionality, which was more than most people had.

"Let's head to Dover then," Integra said, feeling exhaustion creep into her bones with the cold.

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AN:   
*In the version of the Manga I use for reference, in chapter 95, when Seras barges into Integra's room she calls her Master. I figured it had to start somewhere.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own anything pertaining to Hellsing and I am not making any money off of this.

AN: *gasp, shock* I've updated! And a longer chapter too! (about three times longer!)

And a warning: blood, gore and a bit of crude language follow. It's Hellsing, what do you expect? :)

Also, please note the following:

"Speech." _"Past or remembered speech."_ _'Internal thoughts.'_

________________________________________

Integra couldn't begin to describe how badly she wanted a cigar; there weren't any words that could accurately describe the feeling. However that didn't stop her from slowly twirling one in her fingers in a paltry effort to ease the longing. With most of Europe passing emergency shipping embargoes on the UK, in fear that vampirism could some way be passed through the goods, her precious vice was now a scarcity. Of course their allies were kind enough to drop relief aid from military planes every now and again, and with winter coming on, there were far more needed supplies than quality cigars. So, she had to make her dwindling supply last as long as she possibly could.

She walked stoically through one of the sectors housing quarantined civilians while the new team of soldiers she was training, at the crown's request, assisted with the daily medical checks. They were a hodgepodge group made up of members of various military and civilian armed forces; all of them more than willing to serve and protect their country and its people in this desperate hour. Integra didn't bother to quell her scoff of disbelief; if bravery was all it took, then Hellsing would have never wanted for soldiers. There was no glory or honor to be found in this line of work. Just reality; bloody, dirty reality that usually involved far too many innocent, but sadly unavoidable, corpses. She had done her best to explain this to them; to truly clarify what they were up against and the things that would be required of them to protect people. She knew that deep down, they did not believe her; they thought she was over-exaggerating just how much death and violence there would be. No doubt some of them believed that people who had been bitten, either by a vampire or ghoul, would have enough decency to not risk the lives of others by trying to escape the quarantine; that they would just hide away in some basement and let their lives end, alone. It was a very idealistic way to look at things and undoubtedly in the future, tales would be spun about such things in an effort to dress up the gruesome past, to hide the true nature of desperate people. However Integra had never been one to live with an idealistic mentality, she lived in reality. And she knew that these people wouldn't believe her until cold, rotting breath was puffing down on their necks as they fumbled with broken limbs to draw their weapons. Only then would Integra and their superiors find out who in this motley group would last; who would fight, and who would break.

Integra shrugged deeper into her peat coat and listened absently to the doctors as they spoke with those quarantined. She made sure to keep an eye on the soldiers, making sure they were staying on task; the last thing she wanted was for her last night of training to go awry because one person got lax. Not that she really expected anyone in her group to have such poor judgment, they were with the division's Lieutenant Colonel after all. Still, Integra just wanted this evening's rounds to be over and done with so she could head back to Hellsing's temporary HQ and try and get some rest.

It had been two weeks since her check-up with Dr. Travailian; she had yet to hear back about any results, much to the annoyance of Seras who was concerned about her. _"You smell different."_ the vampires had said one day while discussing the lack of response from the doctor. Integra remembered blinking at her for a moment before responding, _"My smell?"_ Seras had managed to look embarrassed, _"It's not an obvious thing,"_ she had stated, _"but something is different."_  Disconcerting as that was, Integra had assured her that she was fine, and changed the subject. However Integra knew she wasn't getting any better. In fact, she felt worse; she hadn't been able to properly eat anything for weeks due to nausea and what she did manage to choke down usually didn't stay there long. And with all the stress of trainings, trying to keep the undead contained and monitoring Seras's nightly raids on London proper to bring down their numbers, sleep was quickly becoming as scare as her cigars. Integra was certain by people's concerned glances that she resembled death warmed over.

Which was also an accurate description of the Private running towards them; panicked would also be an apt term. They were another member of the group Integra was training, however as the overall group was rather large, they had split up to cover the two different active sectors. Private Taylor was puffing for breath when she reached them, not bothering with the proper salute before she began speaking,

"Sirs, we have a problem."

_'Oh, of course there is.'_ Integra wanted to snarl. She also wanted to light her cigar. **Badly**. Lieutenant Colonel Robinson stepped forward, a scowl twisting his usually jovial expression. He was a good man from what Integra knew of him; in his early 40's with silver streaking his dark brown hair, he had turned down promotion several times, claiming that he wanted to be on the field, not stuck in an office managing logistics. Integra liked him for that.

"What's going on Private?" The stocky officer demanded, approaching the Private.

"Sir, we've found some bodies, Sir." Everyone within hearing distance stiffen at those dreaded words.

"Where?" Robinson demanded, practically in the girl's face, "Was it self-inflicted?" There had been an alarmingly high number of suicides in the quarantine sectors since their beginning; whether people just couldn't live with that they had seen or they decided that there was no future worth living for, Integra wasn't sure. She couldn't blame him for hoping for that outcome, no matter how grim; however Taylor wouldn't have rushed to them if that were the case. The Private was shaking her head almost before Robinson finished the question,

"Sector Two, sir. And not possible. One of the bodies is mutilated, most of the blood is gone and in the…the smears that are left there is-" she paused, looking sick, "what appears to be lick marks, sir."

"Damn it," Robinson growled before turning to their squad, "Brown, Wrights and Edwards with me, the rest of you finish this sweep and be on your guard." He locked gazes with her, "And Sir Hellsing, with me, if you please?"

Integra nodded curtly and made a sweeping gesture with her hand, "After you Lieutenant Colonel."

Integra went over facts in her head as they ran to the appropriate sector; the quarantine for sector two was set to end in almost 24 hours. So, how had a bitten individual managed to get through the health checks in the first place? The medics were all well trained in what to look for; the obvious bite marks of course, but also the less obvious sweeping bites that took out chunks of flesh, leaving little evidence of a proper bite. Still, it was always possible something had been missed; hence the need for the quarantines. The fact that something had not only made it through the health checks, but had almost made it through the quarantine period as well worried Integra. Had they missed others that had managed to make it through the quarantine?

Each quarantine section was made up of approximately 10 housing units, which were single room pop-up plastic structures that did little more than provide shelter and privacy for the occupants.* Immediately after the devastation, the UN had dropped enough units for 6 sections, all of which had been in use due to the surprisingly large amount of survivors that managed to crawl out of London's rubble. Now, only two sections remain active, and with no new stragglers it seemed that shortly their usage would end as well. The large group of frantic officers made it easy to locate the scene when Integra and the others arrived in Sector Two. As the others pushed their way through the crowd and to the scene Integra stopped just outside and waited for the world to stop spinning. 'Running shouldn't make me dizzy…' she thought to herself as she took a couple of deep breaths to try and settle herself. She used the moment to survey the group crowded outside and making note of different bits of information she could glean from the conversations going on around her. Spying two specific individuals, Integra made her way over to them almost having to elbow her way through the small throng.

Two doctors, clearly marked by the badges on their left shoulders, stood off to the side of the housing unit, one of them doubled over and looked moments away from relieving his stomach of its contents. The other stood leaning against the building, pale but upright with a comforting hand on his companion's shoulder. He straightened when he saw Integra approaching them and said something to his fellow who merely shook his head in response.

"Sir Hellsing," the man started, licking his lips nervously, "we found…that is, inside there-" he gestured with a shaking hand towards the doorway. Integra cut him off with a gesture of her own,

"I can well imagine what you found inside." Flashes of mutilated bodies on the floor and a man screaming as he clutched his mangled hand to him rippled up from her memory. She knew first-hand what it was like to see for yourself the damage a vampire can do for the first time. She grimaced before continuing on,

"Do you have the files for the people in this unit?" The man looked at her questioningly before digging in a rolling file tote at his feet. After a moment of digging she was presented with a pronged manila folder with **_Sector Two, Unit 3_** stamped on the front. Promising to return it when she was done, Integra opened the file and began skimming the notes as she walked into the housing unit.

Private Taylor had not been remiss in her brief description of the scene and despite the low quantity of blood, the scent of copper and gore hit Integra before anything else, making her already queasy stomach roll. Pressing it down with a hard swallow and shaky breath, Integra studied the two bodies in the unit. A man's corpse was laying on one cot, the entire front half of his throat missing with visible chew marks around the ragged edges of tissue. His abdomen was also torn open, with his intestines and what looked to be a couple other organs spilling out, almost as if the vampire were looking for something. 'No doubt it was,' Integra thought to herself, 'if the vampire has been starving itself, it would have gone for the most blood saturated organs, and the liver and kidneys have the most.' She was aware of others talking around her but Integra continued her examination of the body, noting in particular the body's positioning on the cot and the bottle of pills next to it. Picking the bottle up in her gloved hand, Integra read the label with a frown before placing it back down and moving to another area of the room.

Another and tragically much smaller body lay in an open area next the cots; a young girl, 9 years old according to the file, lay among a small smattering of toys and coloring books, given to all children upon entering quarantine, on the floor as if she had been caught mid-play. Her body didn't bare the same signs of brutality as the man's, only the distinct twin punctures on her neck. She lay on her back as a member of the Medical Examiner's office knelt next to her, pulling a liver probe out of a kit at his side as her blank, milky eyes stared at the ceiling. Integra swore under her breath even as her stomach heaved again; bitten that young, they were going to have to put a bullet through her heart to ensure she didn't rise. A loud bellow interrupted Integra's thoughts, bringing her attention to the conversation that had been going on.

"Do you know ANYTHING?" Lieutenant Colonel Robinson was yelling at a younger officer who looked like he had swallowed nails. Captain Duncan Stewart had been a thorn in Integra's side ever since she started training this group of soldiers. The Scottish soldier had been reassigned to quarantine duty instead of his regular duty station in the Royal Army for undisclosed reasons. Integra had no doubt his personality had caused conflicts with his superiors; an arrogant braggart, Stewart had a knack for rubbing people the wrong way and he knew it. Even though he only possessed average height, Integra had the sneaking suspicion that she was a smidgen taller, and an average build, Stewart could be intimidating towards other soldiers when he tried. Integra had purposefully chosen to walk with the team he was not a part of this evening; she literally was not feeling up to putting up with the man.

"I can't just magically pull information out of the air-" Captain Stewart fired back.

"Good God man, do you even know who they were yet? Where are the doctors?" The Lieutenant Colonel was starting to turn an alarming shade of red as Stewart squirmed. Integra snorted, turning towards them and raising the file in her hand. A vampire was on the loose, they didn't have time for this.

"Michael Nesbit, age 35 and his daughter Emily, 9." Integra's voice carried over the din, drowning it out without competing with its volume. Everyone quieted as she let the file slap onto the single table in the room. "Background information can sometimes make a difference between haphazardly guessing a vampire's next target and finding a pattern of behavior." She addressed the room, eyeing the two men in the center, both of which had failed to attain the file at the beginning. She rolled a cigar in the fingers of her left hand while sliding the right into her pocket.

The Medical Examiner's official stood up, drawing their attention with a discreet cough.

"Judging by her internal temperature, she's been dead for approximately 6 hours. So sometime around," he pushed his sleeve up to reveal a watch, "10 or so this morning." Integra nodded at him before continuing on,

"My guess is that Mr. Nesbit died while sleeping; he's laying too orderly on the cot to have fallen that way. This vampire is young and most likely ravening from trying to fast through the quarantine period, it's not going to take the time to arrange its victim's bodies. However," Integra turned back slightly to glance at the girl's body. "I think the girl may have died first. An accidental slip most likely of the vampire's control, perhaps. And once it realized what it had done, it had to kill the father; but by then its hunger had truly awakened, becoming overwhelming. Hence the mutilation."

"That's barmy!" Stewart scoffed derisively. "How the hell could someone sleep through their daughter's murder?" Integra shot him a cold glance.

"Firstly, I doubt she had time to utter more than a soft cry before the vampire was on her. And if anyone had bothered to search the scene, they would have found a half empty bottle of sleeping pills next to his cot. Although why in God's name the physicians would not ration out pills like that in situation with such a high suicide risk is anyone's guess." Before Captain Stewart could respond, Lieutenant Colonel Robinson stepped in.

"But how did the vampire get in in the first place? There is only one door, which shows no sign of damage, and ventilation slats, no windows."

"That is a good question." Integra responded, looking around and taking stock of the room again. A newly turned vampire from the London attacks wouldn't have the control, nor a sire to show them how, to turn into mist and sneak into the housing unit through the cracks. Integra hummed.

"I'm sorry but Sir Hellsing, you said there was only one child?" The two officers and Integra turned toward the voice; Private Taylor had been helping the Medical Examiner and as such was standing near the body of Emily Nesbit.

"Yes, according to the file there is only her." Integra answered, gesturing towards Emily and wondering where the young woman was going with her line of thought. The Private looked discomforted.

"Well, here on the floor Sir. There are two coloring books open, one across the way from the other and crayons in-between them. Almost as if-" Realization dawn on Integra,

"As if there was another child in here, playing with her. Someone grab those two doctors outside! I want every file for this section in here now."

It was only moments before the table was covered with nine other manila folders with Robinson, Stewart and Integra going through them. "Look for another child," Integra explained to them, "I don't think there are many in this sector, but I want to see them all." They separate the stack and after a few minutes of searching, Stewart crowed triumphantly, "Here!"

The other two crowded him, looking over his shoulders at the file. Just six units down from the Nesbit's was a mother – Melissa Evans – and her daughter, Lauren, age 12. There were no other children in Section Two.

"Its gotta be her!" Stewart told them, pointing at the mother's picture in the file. "She brings her daughter over here to play with someone near her age when she loses it! And afterwards she grabs her girl and runs back to their unit." Integra was surprised to see anger clearly etched in Stewart's face as he finished with, "I bet she's been getting through the quarantine by sipping on her daughter's blood!"

It was, to Integra's concern, a half-decent scheme for a vampire to make it through quarantine. However something wasn't sitting quiet right with her; she looked at the pictures again of mother and daughter. While the general rule that only virgins could become vampires existed, there were very rare exceptions; Alucard himself had fathered three children before he turned. Given enough determination, the absolute refusal to die even on the brink of death, sometimes…just sometimes things changed. And what stronger motivation could there be than for a mother to protect her child even as she lay dying?

Still, if the mother was a vampire, how was she passing the daily health checks? Integra picked up the file, reading over the doctor's notes. Melissa Evans had passed every health check without fail and aside from notes about being wain and exhausted, there was little of interest. She had arrived with various burns and a number of major abrasions that all appeared to be healing normally with the exception of one on her forearm that was sluggish to heal and possibly infected. The notes on her daughter however were more troubling; almost every visit, the girl was sleeping so soundly that a thorough examination had not been possible. They only managed to check a deep, ragged cut the girl had sustained on her bicep and noted that it was healing "incredibly well". Alarm bells were ringing in Integra's head; was the child sleeping so deeply because of exhaustion from recent traumatic experiences or because her life was slowly being drained away? Integra felt her temper begin to creep up; she was going to have these imbecile doctors disbarred at the very least; why didn't they insist upon fully examining the child? For the moment, Integra kept these thoughts to herself as she turned back the Captain and Lieutenant Colonel.

"We have to get over there and get her!" Stewart was saying hotly, hand already resting on the firearm at his hip.

"Stand down, Captain." Robinson barked, attempting to put the younger man back in his place. "Yes, why not go charging into a confined area with a ravenous and probably panicking vampire? It wouldn't end too badly, I'm sure." No one could miss the sarcasm in his voice.

"Continue with the health checks," Integra stated, pleased with the Lieutenant Colonel's grasp of the situation but still resisting the urge to fiddle with her cigar again. "Their unit hasn't been checked yet, there are several more been here and there. And we don't know with absolute certainty that they are involved; any sire-less fledgling vampire could possibly hypnotize a child into letting them inside. So the other adults aren't ruled out. So we continue with the routine and **everyone** gets thoroughly examined. I will be inside as well to help spot an irregularities. And when we find the one responsible," Integra couldn't repress the exhausted sigh that escaped her, all the while feeling like she didn't have all the pieces to this puzzle. "We'll deal with this."

Stewart didn't look happy but he nodded and strode for the door calling to his squad to resume their rounds. A special team from the Medical Examiner's office was there now and they filed their way in after the bulk of soldier left. Knowing they were specially trained on the disposal of possibly infected corpses, Integra merely met eyes of the man in charge and nodded slightly towards Emily Nesbit's corpse. The man gave a curt nod in response as he grimly moved toward the girl's body. The muffled, high pitched sound of a silenced pistol followed Integra as she strode out the door as she ensured that her pistol had a bullet already loaded in the chamber.

________________________________________

Despite the extra time taken to extensively examine everyone in all the units leading up to it, it didn't take long to reach Unit 9 with the Evans inside. Integra would have rather waited until Seras could give them proper backup, facing a starving vampire with only two other soldiers in the room was far less than ideal.

Much to her annoyance her phone had started vibrating in her coat pocket during the interim and a quick glance to the caller ID informed her it was Dr. Travailian; she ignored the call, she really didn't need the distraction at the moment. Worryingly, he called twice more before the phone finally stopped buzzing.

As the medical staff announced themselves before entering Unit 9, Integra made a mental note to call her doctor back afterwards. If this went a bad as it could go, she'd call him after a shot or two of brandy. And a cigar. As the other members of the team waited outside to provide backup, Integra, Robinson and Stewart all followed the same two doctors Integra had spoken to earlier into the unit where Melissa Evans sat at the only table in the room, a worn book in front of her. She smiled at them all tiredly.

"Good evening." She said conversationally to the physician closest to her, voice sounding tired. "I heard some commotion earlier, is everything alright?" Integra felt everyone in the room tense and the medic gave a small, forced smile.

"Oh quite." To his credit, his hands were only mildly shaking. "Just a bit of a medical emergency. Allergic reaction or some such." The woman seemed to relax at the news.

"Oh good." She sighed, "I mean, it's not good for whomever was in need, but I'm glad it was something manageable." The doctors agreed and began their examination of her injuries and a series of health related questions.

True to the notes on previous days, her daughter, Lauren, was curled up on the second cot in the room with the blankets pulled up around her shoulders with only the girl's light brown hair visible. And, Integra noted, one small bare foot that peeked out from under the covers with what looked like dark smears along the pale skin; was that residue dirt from their flight, possibly bruises or something else? Integra examined the mother again and other than what appeared to be general dirt and mud, she bore no signs of the dark smudging that was on her child. Integra frowned. Something wasn't right here. And her phone was buzzing again, damn him.

"Your blood pressure is a little high today," one of the medics noted, "Have you been feeling alight?" The woman shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, I-I'm just," she looked over at Captain Stewart who had been staring at her the whole time, with his hand on his firearm again, "Is there- I mean, are you expecting some kind of trouble?"

"Never can be too careful." He responded a little nastily, making the woman flinch.

"Would someone tell me what is going on?" She said shakily, glancing towards her daughter's sleeping form.

"Ms. Evans," Lieutenant Colonel Robinson began, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Have you had a chance to get to know any of the other families here in Section Two?" She appeared taken aback by the seemingly unrelated question.

"Not particularly, no. Most of us have been keeping to ourselves."

"What about your daughter? Has she made friends with any of the other kids?" Robinson again prodded. The woman frowned and again Integra saw her glance at the sleeping girl.

"Lauren? No, she…she hasn't been feeling well so she has been sleeping a lot lately."

"Sleeping so soundly," Integra interjected, "that the doctors can't wake her up to do a full exam? Is that normal for her Ms. Evans?" Integra knew she'd hit a nerve when she saw the other woman's eyes go wild and she stood to slam a hand on the table; the cheap thing shook with a creak but didn't crack. Her sudden move cause the doctors to jump back while Robinson and Stewart raised their pistols. However, Integra merely frowned.

"What the hell is normal anymore?" Melissa Evans was starting to sound a bit shrill, "London on fire, monsters, fucking vampires dropping down from Nazi zeppelins murdering everyone." Her voice went up an octave, "Gunfire everywhere, bombs, shadows skittering and moving on their own, and an army of what looked like medieval soldiers coming out of fucking nowhere-" she collapsed back into the chair, her head in her hands and Integra could see the other woman's nails digging into her own scalp as her shoulders shook. "I just don't even know what to do anymore…" the other woman wailed quietly.

"Ms. Evans what have you been doing today?" Integra asked, puzzle pieces finally fitting together in a way she had hoped they wouldn't; the woman shook her head,

"I've been in here, reading mostly." The woman sounded as broken as she looked, "I haven't been able to sleep well after…after everything. But I was finally able to take a short nap earlier…" And all the pieces clicked,

"Around 10 this morning?" The woman looked at her confusedly. "Yes actually, how did you-" Integra didn't hear her finish, she already had her gun drawn and was pivoting towards the bed, calling out, "It wasn't her."

The creature that used to be a child flew out of the bed before Integra could squeeze off a shot; the girl now stood behind her seated mother with an arm wrapped around the older woman's shoulders, effectively using her as a shield. "Get out of here!" the vampire hissed at them, red eyes wild.

"Get out or I'll kill her too!" She had her hand curled around her mother's throat from the back, ready to split it open if they didn't obey. Integra kept her vision sighted down the barrel of her gun, even though she didn't have a clean shot. And she knew Robinson didn't either as both of them had been facing the mother head on. Stewart on the other hand was more to the left; Integra couldn't clearly see him since he was on her blind side, but she could see the muzzle of his gun, shaking. _'Take the shot!'_ she willed him, _'Take the shot you bloody git!'_ And her phone was buzzing again! She ignored it and tried to stall for time so Stewart could get it together.

"Lauren, I know you didn't mean to hurt Emily." Integra saw the vampire's eyes go wide.

"You don't know anything!" the girl hurled back at her. "It was an accident wasn't it?" Integra continued on as if she hadn't spoken,

"You two were playing together. It was nice to do something normal wasn't it?" She paused, "But it's hard when you are so very thirsty, all the time. It never stops. The thirst. Even with your mom feeding you from that cut on her arm; reopening the wound every day so you could try and control it. But it wasn't enough." Integra addressed the mother, "How did you hide the bite marks?" Integra asked her, "Was that the cut on her own arm? Did you cut her yourself to hide the bite inside another wound?"

"Shut up!" Lauren's hand tightened against her mother's throat, nails drawing small wells of blood. Melissa was crying now, her arms thrown out to provide her child with more cover; the child that was going to kill her.

"What else could I do?" She cried brokenheartedly, "She's my child. She's all I have left!"

"And she's killed at least two others." Integra told her coldly, "And she will continue to do so, uncontrollably without a sire to rein her in." Integra's head was pounding; so many fledgling vampires running around without a clue at how to control themselves or their powers.

"Stewart," Integra hissed, not daring to take her eye off the vampire. To her horror, she saw his pistol lower.

"I..I can't-a child-" And just like that the vampire was moving; she raked her hand across the throat in her grip before shoving the dying form of her mother aside and leaping across the table at Robinson. However the girl truly didn't know how to manage her new abilities; she used too much force and sent them both through the thin wall and outside. They hit the ground, the vampire Lauren landing just past Robinson, momentarily confused by what had just happened, but a moment was all Integra needed. She didn't miss; two bullets barked from her gun in quick succession hitting the center of her chest and with a jerk, the vampire's body to hit the ground with a thud. And for good measure Integra fired a third round into the skull, blood and gore matting the girl's once pretty hair.

Of the soldiers that had been waiting outside some rushed to Robinson, who was pale and coughing but sitting upright, and others rushed into the housing unit with Integra and Stewart. The two doctors that had been huddled in a corner until then shoved their way outside; Integra had no doubt she wouldn't have to see them disbarred, their resignations were as good as tendered. Integra found her eyes drawn to the body of Melissa Owens, her life's blood pooled underneath her. The more she looked at her and listened to Robinson's wet cough, probably due to broken ribs and a punctured lung, the more rage Integra felt coursing through her; she whirled on Stewart.

"That," she gestured towards the woman's cooling body, "is **entirely** your fault." He was paler than she'd ever seen him, and shaking. "You had a clear shot!" she roared, distantly feeling out of control of herself and she knew the others were staring at them and _that damn phone was buzzing again_ , "You were the only one with a clear shot! You could have killed the vampire and saved that woman and prevented your Commanding Officer's injury! He could very easily have died as well! Why in God's name didn't you take it?"

"I-I…" He stuttered, green eyes wide and looking lost, but Integra cut him off with an angry wave of her hand before digging the phone out of her pocket.

"You know what? I don't bloody care." She told him hotly, "Just know that her death, is on you." She flicked her phone open as she turned her back on Stewart and snarled into the microphone, "And what is SO bloody important Travailian that you can't give me a moment's peace?"

There was stunned silence on the other end which only managed to irritate Integra further as she stalked out of the housing unit, soldiers quickly parting out of her way, and into the cool evening air.

"Sir Hellsing." If her doctor's voice sounded miffed at the greeting Integra didn't notice, "You of all people should know that I don't bother my patients if it isn't important."

"Out with it then!" 'What is wrong with me?' Integra distantly wondered; she hardly ever lost her temper like this…

Travailian paused again. "Sir Hell-, no, Integra. I finally received the results from your bloodwork and quite frankly I'm very concerned. That being said, I have an odd question for you," Here, he coughed slightly, "When did you last have your period?" Integra felt herself jerk to a stop.

"W-what did you just ask me?" Wracking her brain, she tried to come up with dates, "I'm not-, I don't know exactly. With everything…" She hadn't…not since before the battle…but couldn't be, that would make it over two months ago…she'd never been this late… The world was spinning again and Integra sagged against the side of the building. She could barely hear someone asking if she was okay, and Travailian was speaking again.

"Integra, I need you to come in for an exam." His voice was distant and tinny sounding, she knew what he was going to say next even as she fought in her mind to deny the cramping, the dizzy spells, the temper flares, and the _fucking_ morning sickness.

"According to your bloodwork, you appear to be pregnant."

This time she didn't even try to stop it as her stomach heaved again.

________________________________________

 

**AN** : I have struggled with this chapter for literally years; I had these scenes in my head (setting up for later things) but there was so much it was very daunting for me. I would start and stop, start and stop. So if it feels a bit disjointed I apologize. I had about 1800 words written for a long time and then made myself sit down last week and write about 4000 words in two days. And then edited the crap out of it.

Also, I have a feeling some people will feel like Integra is out of character, especially near the end. But let me tell you she is under an INSANE amount of stress and her body has basically been hijacked by hormones. No one would act as they normally would; even iron will crack under enough stress.

*This housing unit is a real thing that is a joint effort between IKEA and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The real one also has solar panels.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own, or claim to own any of the characters from the anime Hellsing – I am not making and money from this.

* * *

 

For the first time in what felt like ages, Integra actually felt warm; it had been raining for weeks on end and even though the skies were still overcast, it was just thin enough to let the sun's warmth radiate through. Integra, tired of feeling cooped up in the manor, decided that a change of scenery was in order. She had taken her files, forgone her suit jacket and headed outside.

Few people knew of it, but towards the back of the grounds was a small pond overlooked by a little-used gazebo. Integra's father used to bring her out there for some of her lessons when the weather was particularly nice. Every spring a small group of Mallards took up residence in the pond and, in early summer, her father or Walter would bring her to the pond so she could see that year's ducklings.

She had had every intention of getting her work done, truly she did. But it was so warm sitting on one of the gazebo's benches, and there was a light breeze dancing across the gardens bringing a rich earthly scent with it. It wasn't a conscious action but before long Integra had stretched her legs out in front of her, with arms crossed at her waist, and her head titled back and supported by the topmost edge of the backrest. The files she had brought laid unopened beside her. And she dozed.

And that's where she was when he found her.

"Doesn't sleeping defeat the purpose of taking your work outside?" a deep, familiar voice rumbled from her right, rousing her from her nap. Integra didn't open her eyes but hummed in response,

"Just a little kip is all."

She felt the weathered boards of the bench give slightly under his weight as he settled down next to her. She could hear the ducks down at the pond and what sounded like…Seras?

' _Oh yes,'_  she thought to herself,  _'Walter was going to bring the Police Girl here if the weather allowed it.'_  The young thing had been having a rough time coming to grips with being a creature of the night and, just the other day, had bemoaned missing the sun. Summer was her favorite season apparently. Walter had thought that the pond might brighten her spirits.

Integra was dragged from her thoughts when she felt fingers curl into her hair before sliding down what he could reach of its length as it cascades over the back of the bench. "What are you doing, you idiot?" She felt him shift closer on the bench.

"Your hair looks like a river of gold in the sunlight." He replied, making Integra scoff,

"Laying it on pretty thick today Alucard, it's not even sunny." She finally opened her eyes to shoot him a half-hearted glare. "And you hate the sun." A satisfied smirk twisted his lips as her slouched position allowed him to loom over her; his red, red eyes boring into hers.

"True," he mused, "but maybe that's because I don't get to see you in it enough." The laugh burst out of Integra before she could stop it; not a chuckle or snigger, but a full-body laugh.

"Oh that was horrible!" she snickered, "Wherever did you get such tripe?" He tossed his dark head in the direction of the pond,

"I blame the Police girl, she must be telepathically leaking thoughts from those books she reads." Integra shook her head,

"Well you'd better teach her how to plug that leak. I'll chop your head off if you say anything that bad to me again." His eyes were definitely glowing as his grin widened,

"Is that a promise?"

Integra rolled her eyes and sat up, forcing Alucard to back away from her slightly, though he stayed close enough to slide a hand to the small of her back. Integra shot him a glance out of the corner of her eyes; she was usually pretty strict about any displays of affection (or possessiveness in his case) in front of others. Mostly erroneous rumors had always circulated about their relationship and she preferred not to give her detractors any fodder. The bond that had developed between them over the years was just that, between them, and she intended to keep it that way. Integra smiled to herself; she always accused Alucard of being possessive, however she was just as bad, jealously trying to keep him to herself.

A laugh pulled her gaze down to the pond; she could see Seras at the bank, gesturing out towards the water where Integra could see the mallards swimming. But the girl's arm looked strange; instead of a white gloved hand attached to a pale arm, it was all as black as Alucard's shadows. And instead of Walter, the person next to Seras was shorter –  _much_  shorter, practically a child's height – with dark wavy hair instead of straight. Integra stood and leaned out over the railing to try and get a better look, but her vision was suddenly blurry, like she couldn't focus, she slid her glasses off…

"Alucard…" Integra began, pressing the heel of one hand over her left eye from where a pounding headache was radiating, "W-who is-"

"Integra," His tone was strange and she turned to look at him, still covering one eye.

He was gone.

And on the bench sat a small square stone block with the seal from his gloves drawn on it; the liquid it was inked with still wet and running down the stone's face. Integra didn't feel like she could breathe.

"You have to wake up now Integra." His voice echoed around her. Integra spun around, looking for the source but finding no sign. Seras and whoever was with her were gone as well.

"Alucard!" She yelled, running out of the gazebo and looking around the surrounding grounds. The sky was suddenly tumultuous and it started raining again.

"Wake up." His voice sounded different this time, the deep baritones she was familiar with was blending with another, as if two people were speaking.

"Don't," she choked on the words, letting the rain plaster her hair and clothes, "don't disappear…"

" ** _Integra!"_**

* * *

 

She jerked awake with a start, only to find Seras staring down at her worriedly, the vampire's hand on her shoulder, shaking it.

"I'm awake," she told the younger woman so she'd stop rattling her. Integra continued to lay where she was for a moment, disoriented from her dream.

Since the Hellsing Manor was within the quarantined zone of London, Integra had been given use of a small cottage just outside Maidstone from which to run her operations. Integra and Seras had returned briefly to the manor to collect some items before retreating beyond the barricades; namely clothing, donated blood for Seras, her coffin and all the ammunition they could carry.

The cottage, one of apparently several homes owned by a cousin of Sir Islands, was small but it was adequate for their needs as it was really only used for storage and sleeping. Integra spent most of her days in either Dover at the Operations Center or, for two weeks leading up to the previous evening, at the quarantine units located west of Maidstone. Seras spent her nights in London proper, clearing it out, section by section, destroying any undead she came across. Within the two months since the battle, they had already been able to reclaim part of the south-eastern portion of the exclusion zone, from Dartford to Croydon.

After her call from Dr. Travailian, Integra did not return to the cottage; Seras would have been awake by the time she arrived and there was no way Integra could hide this from her. So she had left a message on Seras' phone, telling her that she had to go to an emergency meeting in Dover and wouldn't be there to see her off. Instead of heading to Dover however, Integra had gone straight to the clinic Dr. Travailian was operating out of and sat there until he arrived the following morning, her mind whirling.

A brief examination, including an ultrasound, were all that was needed to confirm the diagnosis. After dismissing the nurse and giving Integra a moment to dress herself, Travailian returned and locked the door before turning back to Integra. He studied her for a moment with her head wresting in one hand, the other hanging loosely from the arm draped across her lap, before rolling a chair over to sit in front of her and asking tactfully,

"Should I be congratulating you Integra?"

She tried to scoff, but it came out more straggled than she would have liked.

"In what little you've told me about what happened, you said you were on your own several times, and at others alone with the enemy." He paused, giving her a searching but considering look, "Did they-"

"No." She cut him off before he could say it. She didn't want to tell him, to tell anyone. She wasn't ashamed, but it was her personal business damn it. She shouldn't have to explain herself to anyone. However…he was her doctor. And if he was going to be of any use to her during this, he had to know exactly what he was dealing with. Even if she didn't fully understand it either.

"It's Alucard's." It came out more quietly than she had intended. His surprised expression was quickly covered by careful neutrality.

"How is that possible?" He asked, genuinely curious. "Aren't vampires supposed to be sterile?" Integra sighed, sitting upright, and letting her hand fall to her side.

"Yes. Everything I've read and researched has attested to that fact. Any mention of half-vampires were rumors, myths of myths, nothing more."

"Obviously something more." He reminded her, gesturing to the still image on the ultrasound monitor they had captured during the scan. A small, but undoubtedly humanoid shape, surrounded by a dark oval. Integra's hand clenched the edge of the table she was sitting on.

"Do you intend to keep it?" he asked not unkindly.

"It's mine." She told him pointedly, though she could not blame him for asking, not when she had spent the entire night pondering that same question herself. With all she had going on the last thing she needed was another life to worry about. "I-I don't know what it is exactly, other than not entirely human, but it's mine." She did manage a small sneer, even if it seemed half-hearted. "And they have been after me to have an heir after all." Her doctor nodded but cautioned her,

"The heartbeat is slow," he explained, "very slow for what we should be seeing at this point in a pregnancy, so it may not survive. It could very well terminate on its own." He made a note in her file before standing and moving to one of the locked cabinets in the room. "So in the meantime I'm going to give you something for the nausea and vitamins." And here he gave her a stern look, "Just make sure that you are resting when you can and eating, regularly. You've lost several pounds just in the last two weeks." It was Integra's turn to glare at his back as he started digging through bottles.

"I  **do**  eat. Hardly my fault none of it stays down…" Dr. Travailian smiled kindly at her as he pressed two of the bottles into her cold hands.

"It will pass." He picked up her file and told her, "I'm going to keep this one locked away, and misfiled. Considering the nature of this, I don't think we can be too careful." Integra nodded at him, reaching for her peat coat.

"Is there anywhere we could find more information about this Integra?" he asked as she stood from the table. "I hate not having any idea what to expect."

"So do I," Integra told him, buttoning up the coat and stuffing the bottles into her pockets. "There is only one place I can think of and I'm heading there now."

* * *

 

"Are you alright, Master Integra?" Seras' anxious question pulled the older woman from her recollection.

"Yes," she told her, "a bad dream, nothing more." She sat up and met the vampire's eyes, "How was last night's mission?" Seras didn't look convinced but decided to let her change the subject anyway.

The vampire sat in a chair across from the one Integra had fallen asleep in. "I worked my way south and east of Croydon. Nothing but a few small packs of ghouls."

"Only a few ghouls?" Integra asked, concerned. "The last aerial scan of the area showed a lot more than that!"

"I know. I searched around the area but there was nothing of note." Seras sighed, "I'm not sure where they've gone at this point. I'm guessing they roam around the whole zone."

Integra rubbed her forehead, not liking the news at all. Seras, meanwhile, leaned forward, resting one elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand, looking at Integra intently.

"So, what have you been up to?" she asked, gesturing to the large array of books, loose papers and journals scattered on the coffee table between them. Integra grimaced; she had meant to have them all hid away by the time Seras woke for the evening.

"Just doing some research." She told the younger woman as she stood and began collecting the various items, dropping them in one of several boxes she had.

"Huh," Seras was watching her with a look what didn't look at all like her usual self. Either her love/familiar was making an appearance or his shrewdness was rubbing off on the girl. "You know, I don't remember bringing so many boxes of books back from the manor." Integra grit her teeth while she sat the box onto the floor with the others.

"That's because we didn't." Integra told her flatly, moving towards the cottage's small kitchen. She needed some tea. "I went and got them this morning." The girl finally reacted like Integra would have expected her to.

"Master Integra, have you lost your mind?" The younger woman was beside her and taking the tea kettle from her hands before she could blink. "The manor is in the exclusion zone!" Integra gave her a withering glance,

"I do have clearance to go into the zone Seras." This didn't console the girl at all, in fact it just seemed to make it worse; red tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.

"There could have been anything in that house! Waiting for you! You could have died! And no one would know where you were or what happened!" Integra realized with alarm that Seras was on the verge of what appeared to be a panic attack; she was crying now, and gasping in shuttering, sobbing breaths. "I-I can't… not again…" Integra grabbed the vampire's upper arms and gave her a firm shake.

"I'm right here girl! I'm fine. It was broad daylight and there was nothing in the manor." Seras seemed to calm slightly, although she unexpectedly launched herself at Integra, wrapping her arms around the taller woman in a hug and squeezing slightly.

"Please…"she begged, "please just ask me to go with you next time. I-I don't know what I would do all alone!" Integra she relented with a sigh, wrapping one arm awkwardly around Seras' shoulders and patting her head with the other hand.

"Alright, Seras." The young vampire brightened slightly before Integra saw the girl's eyes go very, very wide. "What? What's wron-ack!" Integra was interrupted by Seras pulling her into another hug, but this time the vampire very deliberately placed the side of her head against Integra's chest.

"S-Seras?" Integra asked, suddenly alarmed as the oddly-behaving vampire frowned in thought.

"I…" she paused, "It sounds like there is another heartbeat, but why-?" Integra cursed and she felt the other woman stiffen as she made the connection. With painful slowness, Seras lifted her head to stare at Integra, who was  _not_  fidgeting damn it.

"You…?" was the only word the vampire seemed able to get out. Integra sighed again and gently disengaged herself from the young vampire before turning back to the sink. She took a moment to begin filling the kettle with water from the tap, using the time to gather her thoughts.

"Dr. Travailian called me last night. And an exam this morning confirmed it. But," she warned, "Don't get any bright ideas. There is a very high chance I'll miscarry." There was a moment of silence before,

"Is that what you were researching?" And then, more quietly, "Be-Because it's Master's." Integra sat the now full kettle on the stove with an unintentionally loud noise. She turned on the burner before turning back to Seras.

"Yes. I need to find all the information I can so Dr. Travailian and I can figure out what to do, if I don't miscarry. According to what little data there is, I've only found two cases of a half-vampire pregnancy making it to term, but in both cases the child died shortly after birth." Unexpectedly, Seras smiled at her then. Narrowing her eyes, Integra asked suspiciously, "What?"

"I really shouldn't be surprised; there always seemed like there was something between you two and besides," And here the vampire actually managed to blush slightly, "he did call you Countess." And to her eternal mortification, Integra felt her own cheeks warm, although she would swear it was in anger.

"Stupid git." She muttered, turning back to the cupboards and searching for the tea. Seras suddenly at her side, grabbed one her hands in both of hers, one gloved and one a corporeal shadow.

"He'll come back Integra." She said matter-of-factly. And if the smile Integra gave her was pained and sad, the vampire didn't notice.

"We'll see."

* * *

 

**AN:**  I would just like to say that I cried while writing the dream sequence. But the chapter ended with a bit of fluff. And some Alucard! Not much granted, but at least a little bit!

Time should start moving a bit faster after this chapter.


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